Mandalorian: Signet of the Growlers
by stbear6409
Summary: His first bounty seems pretty good, all he has to do is follow the team and reap the rewards. He soon learns that the bounty is an untrained force user hell bent on protecting the locals from the New Order. Not even a mandalorian lead team can save him from her wrath, but maybe he can save them from hers. PM me.


**Signet of the Growlers**

By Standing Bear 6409

One: The Bounty

"Finally ready for a real bounty, then? No more paper pushing. I got one for you: Gi-gore-sail Nor White-sun." The quarren man stated slowly, pronouncing the name clearly, while putting the bounty puck on the table. Quarren look like something out of a sailors nightmares, with their squid like face, although this old bounty hunter had a few of the tentacles cut off, which was his more attractive feature.

The Mandalorian looked at the man for a second then down at the puck. "Never heard of him. How many credits?"

The man almost smiled, but held back at fiercely as he could. "It's a girl. Humanoid. Ten man team, your share will be seven thousand dead, ten alive."

He thought about passing on the job. The money was good, and with a ten-man bounty team, there was little honor in this first run. He was young still, and understood that a more experience warrior would easily take up the task. He was young, not stupid. "I work alone. Got anything else?"

"Not really." He growled, angered that the Mandalorian as unwilling to complete the task he was given. She had to be taken out, her fighters were growing in number and with the Empires fall, the Rebel groups lack of diplomatic readiness, she was a rising threat to the New Orders control over sector G-16. Why anyone cared about Bakura was beyond him, it was a nothing planet. Just a wild world with a single star, out beyond the middle of nowhere. "But as this is your first run, I can add 1 kilogram of beskar steel to sweeten the deal."

"Not really." He growled, angered that the Mandalorian as unwilling to complete the task he was given. She had to be taken out, her fighters were growing in number and with the Empires fall, the Rebel groups lack of diplomatic readiness, she was a rising threat to the New Orders control over sector G-16. Why anyone cared about Bakura was beyond him, it was a nothing planet. Just a wild world with a single star, out beyond the middle of nowhere. "But as this is your first run, I can add 1 kilogram of beskar steel to sweeten the deal."

The Mandalorian looked at the puck and thought about the task for a moment. "Fine, I'll take it."

As he reached for the puck, the quarren man reached out as if to stop him. He swallowed back the momentary sentiment he held for the young man in front of him. "This one is not to be underestimated. She does not tolerate trespassers. Meet with the team on Endor, at the old shield facility. And, Mando…Don't be a hero. Good luck."

Two: The Unlucky Meeting

He had slipped. Fallen off the thin scaffolding and was now, begrudgingly, hanging from ropes snagged on his body armor just behind his neck, and unable to get down. He had struggled to get out his knife it had fallen twenty feet below him. Much to his lack of amusement the blade had landed in a thin patch of sun and now glimmered laughingly at him. He had however, in the few minutes that he had been hanging, come to the conclusion from the sound of the blasters firing that his team was losing.

With the last ditch effort he started to unbuckle his armored vest, he'd probably survive the drop and be able to crawl out. He heard the footsteps approaching, and stopped to look at who was coming his way.

He struggled for a moment and examined each of the faces. Only one was staring at him, the others were keeping guard. He recognized her from the puck. He sighed in desperation, as all hope of an easy escape left him. Face to face with a bounty that required a ten man team was not the way he imagined the start his big deployment. She put her hands on the railing and yawned, covering her mouth with her arm.

"Well?" The man to her left asked.

"Down." She ordered in a thick growling voice. Her goons moved quickly and firm, but gentle hands, guided him off the snag and onto the platform. His knife and items were tossed aside and he was forced to kneel, more embarrassed than in fear. Wasn't really his fault, he thought. The other guys were useless random bounty hunters. No real warriors. Then again, he just got caught. Twelve to one, those odds were not in his favor. "Are you done?" She asked leaning forward slightly.

"Not yet." He growled, glancing at the entourage. Having sized them up, he swept his leg out and knocked over the nearest one – blasters came up but her hand raised and they waited. He took the moment to roll, grab his knife and leap at her. As he came down, blade in hand, he wondered why she didn't look worried or in fear. She was a calm as a rock, as if peacefully frozen in time. He realized that he was no longer falling. He was frozen, hovering in the air just above her.

"Are you done?" She asked again, more forcefully this time. Standing up, and taking the knife from his hand. He strained against the force holding him tightly. He panted, grunted, but she took his knife and pocketed the prize. She touched his pauldron, where a blaster had left a mark. He couldn't move his head to look at her, but he could feel the vile prodding unwanted touch. He half wanted to spit out the taste it caused in his mouth. She was picking at his slashed clothing, opening his pouches, examining his tools – for a Mandalorian, this was as embarrassing as any man randomly fondling another man. He resented her for the public display of humiliation, and let his mind fill with curses and ways to kill her. He could feel his blood boiling in anger. She leaned in, uncomfortably close to his helmet, looking into his black visor and straight into his eyes.

He was sure that she could see him, as if his helmet melted away and it was just them, face to face. Her stare made him feel exposed, naked.

She wasn't afraid of him. Most people feared Mandalorians, the reputation as fierce hardened warriors was enough to make half of his bounties stop and allow capture with the promise of their life. Not her. She stared into his soul, resisted him, and could easily bring him to his knees. Her hands came up, slowly, fingers running along his neck to his helmet. No! How could she do this to him?

He felt the weight start to lift, "Don't!" He had tried to make it sound like a warning, but he couldn't move, and it came out as a desperate plea. He was at her complete mercy. The weight came back down on his head and he was grateful, the merciful gesture overwhelmed him.

Coming back to his senses he thought about his training, examine your enemy! She wasn't overly tall for a human, maybe 1.7 meters. She looked fat in the thick long fur coat. It was snowing outside, but the coat must restrict her movements. Then again, she had shown him that she could disarm him without weapons. That, he could respect.

"Nor?" A soldier inquired, stepping forward.

She stepped back from her captured prey and looked at the man. She reached out with the force and scanned his mind but felt only gratitude for not removing the helmet. "Strip him to his base layer, then bind him with imperial chain. Put his armor and weapons in a lockbox in my chamber. Do not remove his helmet."

"Yes, ma'am."

She paused and took a deep breath, pointing at another soldier she repeated her warning: "Do not remove that helmet."

A darkness rolled over the man, but he nodded anyway. That Houk was bound by loyalty to her, the mandolorian noted. He felt their hands push his arms and legs into place, the chain locking into place. The crushing blanket of invisible force energy was removed and he looked down at his stripped self, and imperial chains that could hold a wookie in place. He was trapped, for now.

As they walked him out of the building, they entered the street to a waiting transport. The cold weather was setting in again, and he could feel the sting as the air temperature rapidly dropped. As they sat him down, he felt a shiver run down his spine. This was going to be a really cold journey. His hands, which remained gloved most of his life, were already starting to turn pink.

A thick fur coat fell over his chest and was tucked around his shoulders. He glanced over at the now coatless woman, thinking how foolish she was for facing the cold instead of letting him suffer. She looked very different without the thick fur on. She was not as overweight as he had thought, maybe 85kg, and wore the plated beskar armor of a fallen Mandalorian. Had she killed a Mandalorian warrior? She said nothing, only turned to talk to another soldier as the transport sped towards the palace. The windspeed increased the amount of cold on him, and he felt grateful that the fur coat kept it at bay. He could see the frost forming at the windshield. How cold was this place going to get?

As they slowed down he could see in front of the palace, on spikes, were various helmets. He quickly glanced over the helmets: storm troopers and then he counted ten Mandalorian helmets. Owls, hunters, epics, and one techno. Slightly unnerved, he focused on the moment and planning his escape.

He didn't fight as they took him out of the transport, he was too busy plotting his escape and memorizing details. The man put the coat over him, even though they were walking indoors. As they entered, all of the guards tightened their grip on their blasters, but no one moved. For a rural outpost was heavily armed.

They walked down to a reinforced area and the man who was with him opened a door. As he stepped into the cell, the warm coat was removed. He felt the cool air around him, and couldn't determine if it was comforting or not. "Boy, I'm going to let you in on a secret: no one leaves here alive without her permission. Do yourself a favor and add this to your creed: She is my master."

He looked at the man for a moment. "I work alone."

He grinned, his white whiskers turning upward. "Ha. So does she. She's never let an attacking Mandalorian live before." He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "You must have done something to earn her respect." He keyed the door and laser bars instantly appeared, followed by a solid door.

Glancing down at his bound hands he looked around the empty room, there was a shelf to lay on, that was all. Sitting down, all he could do was wait. He felt the adrenaline slowly fading and the deep sleep come for him.

"Get up." The jailor barked as the guards rushed into the room and grabbed him. They put him on his feet and pushed him out the door. The sun in the hallway confirmed what his stomach already knew, it was morning. The prison march wasn't very long, and ended in a dinning hall. She was sitting at the table eating food. As he was pushed closer he could smell the tantalizing dishes on the table.

Nor was reading some old printed map, and didn't bother to look at him. "My guest has arrived." She mused, "Please be seated." A chair moved back from the table and he sat down.

Gotcha, he thought. He knew exactly how he was going to kill her.

She looked at him and shook her head. "It's not going to work." She whispered, teasingly.

"What?"

"You killing me with that chair. It's not going to work." He felt a flush of blood come to him. How did she know? She used a fork to stab a piece of cheese and looked at him. "I am stronger than you, and therefore have the right to rule you."

The Mandalorian glared at her. How dare she twist the code! "We'll see."

"Ha! You wouldn't be in chains if you were stronger than me. I'd be dead." She ate the cheese and sighed. "No one is coming for you. No clan will come for you. You don't even have your signet yet. What pitiful warrior are you?" She could see his breathing changing, he was angered. Good. "I refuse to continue to _dishonor_ Mandalorians by calling you one. What is your name?"

"Mando."

"That's not a name…Well, I found you here." She trailed off thinking about something, her eyes looking out the window at the nearby stream and lake. "Kenus will do." Nor sniffled for a second. "You're probably very hungry, yet you won't eat in front me." Nor stood up and stretched. She walked behind him, leaned over his shoulder, her right cheek almost touching the left of his helmet. He swallowed hard, planning his attack. "I am just protecting my clan."

His fists came up to strike her head, but stopped short due to the chains. She hadn't moved, hadn't jumped or even flinched. He was impressed. "Let me out of these chains and I will prove who had the right to rule."

"I don't have time to play today. Tomorrow maybe." Nor looked into the black line of the visor, she could feel a growing conflict with in him. She could feel he was impressed with her show of strength and she could feel his manhood twitch slightly, and that empowered her further. Whatever was drawing her to this one, was the right path.

She reached out with her left hand and took a large chunk of cheese, slowly bringing it back towards them. Nor kept a connection through the force with him, he was drooling over the food and assuming she was going to eat the morsel. She placed it in his hand and walked away. The guards marched forward to return him to the cell as he tucked the stolen food into his pocket.

The generals gathered at the dinning room table for the evening meal. Nor thought about Kenus. When was the last good meal he had eaten? It must be a day and a half; hunger would be a good push for him to break down his walls.

"What is your plan with that one?"

Nor wasn't ready for a blunt question. "Is there no room along our walls for one more helmet, General Cho?"

Cho could see that she was sensitive about this one, something was different between them. "That helmet is still attached to his shoulders." He remarked.

"I'll remove it after I find out who sent him."

The second general sighed. "We know who. It's the first order." He grabbed a piece of bread and looked at her. "Just give them the natives and we will be rid of both the First Order and the horde."

"No one is certain of that, Taylor," She assured him. "and I can not order an entire people into slavery. They are not mine to command."

The three men looked at each other and sighed. Cho cleared his throat. "Do you want to tell us what is going on?"

Nor sighed. "I don't know. I feel like that man needs to live."

"He is a bounty hunter, and his team mates attacked us." The second general mused.

Cho looked at his master then at his friend. "Yes, but he did not."

"Give me a week to mull on this." She offered.

The two generals nodded while the third shook his head. "He's dangerous."

"So am I." She reminded him.

The jailor knocked on the door. "Gift from the master." He explained putting down a bowl of soup." The Mandalorian looked at the food and then at the jailor. "Eat up. I have to take the bowl back."

"I'll pass."

"Why? You haven't eaten anything today."

"I can't remove my helmet, it's the way."

The jailor chuckled. "Then you're going to be real hungry tomorrow." He grabbed the bowl and left. Sighing, the Mandalorian leaned back and looked around the cell. There really wasn't a good way out. He had yet to think of an option.

A knock came and the door opened again. "Missus called you up to see her. I'll walk you there." The jailor explained, helping him to his feet. "Don't try anything, one she'll take it out on me and two she'll take it out on you."

The Mandalorian considered his escape routes but didn't see any clear line yet. Know that he knew the jail area he could escape, get his gear back and return to his ship. Then again, the armor was more heavily guarded right now than he was. He might have to forego the armor and escape. His armor would be a temporary loss, maybe he could buy beskar steel next time.

They rounded he corner and he saw a chance. He slammed his elbow into the jailors belly, doubling him over. Still locked in the imperial chains he bolted for the door, the first guard fired a stun beam, which half missed – numbing one of his legs. He slammed the guard into the wall, then duel handedly punched him. All too easy, he smiled as he hit the key pad to open the door.

The cold blast of wind struck him, and he gritted his teeth against it for a moment. He grabbed the guards cloak and headed out of the palace. The streets were void of anyone, which was great, except for the cold was digging into him. He clung to the cloak and hurried towards his ship.

The dark night, blowing snow, bitter cold, were getting to him. He felt tired, as he trudged forward. One more step, he told himself. He must be about three miles out from the town. He looked back across the flat valley expecting to see lights on the palace, but it was dark. Snow white everywhere. The Mandalorian knew he should hunker down until the morning, but the ship should just be a mile up the road. Twenty minutes and he'd be safe and warm. He gritted his teeth and pressed forward

As he came around the bend in the road he could see the faint outline of his ship. The _Sundance_. A beautiful imperial generals shuttle modified for extreme long range. The further from that psychotic woman the better. She was kind of interesting though, her actions were strong and intoxicating but still she was the bounty. Stopping about twenty-five yards from his ship it looked odd…the door was open!

The Mandalorian dropped the cloak and raced into the ship. "No! No!" He screamed realizing that it had been stripped. Snow was being blown into the hollowed-out ship. He tried to start the computer, but nothing turned on.

Trapped. Cold. Alone and hungry. He started to break. She was right. His clan didn't know where he was or how to find him, and worse! She seemed to be good at killing them. She had won. He searched for a blanket or clothing, but it was all gone. He stumbled down the ramp to get the cloak and there was a person on a mount.

He instinctively reached for where his blaster was only to remember that it was in the lockbox. Clenching his fists he readied for the person to move. As the figure shifted on the mount, pulling her hood back and revealing her face, he recognized the thick fur coated individual. "You done?" She hollered, over the wind.

Cocking his head to the side slightly he grinned, "Not yet."

Nor looked around and dismounted, pulling a thick coat from her pack. "Come here."

He trudged through the snow, feeling his feet aching in pain from the cold. He let her wrap the coat around him, then went to head butt her. She dodged and smack the side of his helmet, taking the coat back. Stumbling to the side, he noticed how hard the cold felt without that coat on. He noted that could have knocked his helmet off, but the cuff was firm enough to prove her point without revealing him. "You done playing around, 'cause I am." She growled, heading back towards the big furry animal she had ridden on. She opened the pack, and started to put the coat in.

"Wait." He pleaded, looking around. He walked over to her and the mount.

"If the cold doesn't get you the Growlers will." Nor explained. "Come with me, if you want to live." She pulled the coat out and waited for him to make a choice.

Hypothermia or frost bite wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted from this planet. Growlers were fierce beasts that hunted in groups, known to easily dispatch several armed persons let alone one with Imperial chains. A single scratch often lead to an infection which would stop a Houk. He didn't want to ask for the coat, he wanted the coat – needed it. A branch snapped in the woods, and they both looked into the dark forest but neither could see anything. Glancing at his bare arm he sorely missed his inferred display. A deadly dangerous cold danced around him, waiting for the last of his reserves to be drain before claiming him, and quick, but every time he opened his mouth nothing came out.

Nor made a choice, and wrapped the coat around him, tying it closed, then pulled him up on the mount, in front of her. With a sharp click of her lips, they started trotting towards the palace. Something in the woods snapped and the mount shivered nervously. He felt her breathing change. "Growlers." Nor gasped. She dug her heels in and quickened the pace but she could tell they were coming.

Her focus was still on the woods when they were slammed from the field side, right, and the mount was thrust from under them. Kenus was face down in snow, the mount unmoving and on him. Pinned, and unable to roll over or barely move, started to feel panic suffocating him. Dragging him back to his own childhood, his father pinning him down to protect him, the beast dragging the screaming man into the woods. He could hear the growling monsters, and put his head down, hiding, and suffocating, accepting his fate as the beasts approached.

She rolled over, threw her coat over him, and he heard the snap hiss of a light saber. The heavy coat snapped him out of his memory, and he pawed the coat off from him so he could see. She faced the 3.5 meter tall growlers as they came in, saber toothed, multi-eyed, fur bristling and hissing. Her blaster in her left hand, a dark saber in her right, they pounced and she attacked. He had heard of an old legend of a Mandalorian jedi with a black saber, but she was no Mandalorian, and the saber was in the Jedi Temple…somewhere. He watched as her blaster hit the beast four times before it fell, the next one was struck with the saber – and yet limped away. Another came over the mount and pounced onto him, almost knocking his helmet off. He was face down, and unable to defend himself. The saber ran through the beasts throat, and it dropped onto him, further pinning him.

Terror crept into him. These were not exactly beasts to be trifled with. He struggled against the dead beast but most of his legs were still pinned.

The saber retracted as the last beast ran into the woods. "Damn." She swore looking at her mount and him, he looked at the mount as blood languidly seeped from under it's lifeless shape and ran in rivulets from its frozen black eyes. "We'll have to camp here tonight. But they'll be back." She sighed. But it wasn't over, not yet. There was still the Mandalorian, trapped under a two-ton beast.

Nor stood before him still watching the woods, rigid, determined, fearless. He could see a new person, one that he had not been expecting to find. She finally took her coat off from him, returning it to her shoulders. He no longer surveyed a bounty but _her_. His survival had just depended upon her, and she proved she was a warrior in her own right. He found himself hoping, pleading, that she did not just walk away and leave him trapped. He had been left behind before, and always gotten away, but he could feel his injuries and the frost bite setting in. He might not make it out with out her help.

He should be seeing his enemy, but she was not an enemy. She was a clan leader, who fought off the scout platoon of the new order and made enemies. He saw who she was, but who she could be: an ally.

As she glared down at him, furious that his actions had dragged her into the cold night – to face growlers, she saw him for only what he was in that moment: a stupid boy. She could feel that he was remembering something very upsetting. Something to do when he was a boy, when his father was dragged away by beasts and he was convinced that they abandoned him. He had been wounded and scared and had gone down a dark path. A boy that was lost, found by the mandalorians and raised to be strong, and tonight not able to show that strength.

Getting out the supplies she started to pack them to take them into the ship, it would provide some shelter until the morning. Reaching out with the force, she lifted the beast and pulled him out. The massive beast was stretching her ability, she struggled for a moment before holding it firmly. She looked down at him, unable to crawl or roll away from the fallen mount.

"AH!" He groaned, reaching for his right leg. Nor looked at the red blood following behind where she had dragged him. Both of his legs were broken, he was dead weight, unable to fend for himself. He looked up at her, pleadingly, half wishing that she could see his face and know how grateful he was right now, how desperate he had become. She was holding the back pack and looking at him, calculating survival chances. "Please don't leave me."

"I'm only a bounty to you." She said, more to herself than anyone else.

"You were." He agreed. The words sent a chill down her spine. The longing resonated with her own loneness, until her very knees threatened to buckle. It was a pull and push, tidal, primal, but she felt it. Something about this man, _this_ man, who she felt protective of, that the force had delivered to her. That statement, a final plea, made her realize she had no choice. She had already made the choice the moment she left the palace to try and rescue him.

Putting the back pack on, she lifted him over her shoulders, determined to make the arduous quarter mile hike back to the ship. "AHHH!" He grimaced, as his two legs twisted in the air. He took a deep breath, _This is it_, he thought. _Death is life, for we die as we live. Have I really lived well? My enemy is saving me._ As he released his breath he felt himself slip into the darkness.

As she took her first steps, something fell to the ground with a thump. She turned and looked down at the helmet on the snowy field. Nor looked at the field and then at the helmet. Her strength was almost drained and picking up the helmet would drain her further, she might not have the force will to cleanse herself. Then again, he greatly valued that helmet. She squatted down and grabbed the helmet, and stood back up. "Argh." She grunted, finally getting back to a walking stance.

She laid the man down on the bed in the ship, he was passed out and his face was devoid of expression. She was thankful that he was unconscious as the loss of his helmet might have been a big thing. Nor pushed a thin lock of deep brown hair from his brow and carefully placed the helmet over him. He wasn't that bad looking. His eyes were set a perfect amount apart from each other, framed by strong slightly peaking brows. His fuller nose wasn't quite straight, whoever set his broken nose was not an expert. His skin was slightly tanned, and knowing that he never took his helmet off lead her to believe that was his natural tone, as if his flesh glowed with the warmth of the desert sun. His cheek bones did not appear apart from his cheeks, he was not gaunt, they were part of his smooth face and square jaw. Unlike Nor, who always considered herself to be pudgy, smooth curvy lined muscles rippled across every part of his wiry body. The type of muscles that are not just for brute strength but for fast strikes. She'd seen men with those features, but she knew, without a doubt, that he was a warrior.

Nor looked at her left shoulder, where the blood was seeping through the brown cloth. The burning feeling was becoming worse, but his leg should be set now. She reached over and pulled the two bones, making them one again. Looking at the other leg, she didn't have the strength left. One would have to do. Rescue would come in the morning.

Taking off her shirt she examined the three claw marks. She was lucky, it was just a skin deep scratch. She was unlucky, it was a growler scratch and she didn't have much time left. She pulled out the medical kit from her pack, pouring the anti toxin into the cuts, and started to close them, grunting slightly then silencing herself. She didn't want to wake him.

"What happened?" He asked, coming out of his sleep. "Where are we?" He looked around the familiar bedroom and then at the half naked woman sitting on his bed. He felt a rush of warmth flow down his head, chest, stomach and rest in the core of his being. Zenx could scarcely breathe as he watched her pulled the stitch through with a stoic stare. Her hair, which cascaded in a lustrous mane around her face, framed her as any mighty beast might be. Her skin was tanned, smooth but far flawless. He regarded the scars on her exposed back where someone had lashed her years ago. Yet she had not broken. Her hazel eyes seemed to have gotten brighter, full of a softness that he had never expected from his captor. They were caged beneath brows, strong from furrow and worry, but they sparkled in the candle light like a pair of luminescent diamonds, radiant and beautiful. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from the cold. Pausing from her work, she brushed a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, gently brushing her cheek, past her oblong jaw, and to a neat flat ear. Her perfectly-shaped lips were a soft rose bud pink. She lifted her brows in thought about what he was thinking. She'd changed since he first met her… nicely. She wasn't ugly before, but after seeing her fight off a pack of growlers and saving his life he felt different.

This couldn't be his bounty. He couldn't imagine having to hand someone with such honor over to them, but he had given them his word that he would. If he failed, he would be out of the bounty guild. He swallowed, unsure of how to proceed.

Nor regarded his stare for a moment longer and pulled the last stitch closed.

His bound hands came up and touched his helmet, just to be sure. "Did you?"

"I did not remove your helmet." She stated, as if angered he even asked, as she pulled her shirt back over her. Her arm was starting to swell and stiffen.

"Zenx."

"What?" She asked starting to feel the toxins taking hold, she needed to lay down. He would need food. Nor reached into the pack and grabbed the rations, she pushed the container into his hands. "Eat." She encouraged, laying on the bed as the world swam around her. Pulling the thermal blanket over them both.

"My name is Zenx."

She nodded, "Protect yourself." Nor pushed the small blaster into his bound hands as she floated, tripped and fell into the black abyss of poisoned blood.

He touched the arm that was closest to him, it was burning hot. He peeked at the closed lines. There wasn't much he could do. Both of his legs were broken, although he could tell the compound fracture had been set, and he didn't have his medical kit.

For a moment he simply stared at her. The sight before him was foreign, as he had been alone, slept alone, his whole life. There were no other beds on his shuttle, and she had put the blankets over them both to keep out the cold, and the shared body heat was probably a necessity. And yet, peering at the unconscious woman he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, nervous. He internally scorned himself for even feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't there in his bed by choice – well she chose to sleep there, but it was because of the situation.

He took off his helmet, set it between them and opened up the rations pack. She was a bounty, he reminded himself. Worth a lot of credits and beskar steel. If the ship was operational, he could just pull the trigger on the black blaster and head back. He needed her to get a ship to get off the planet. He started to eat the rations, thinking about how to get off the planet.

Zenx woke up, alerted by a deep growl and sniffing noise just outside the leather she had hung to keep the cold at bay. The absolute bitter cold had found it's way into the ship, and frost was forming at the edges of the leather door, but under her coat and blanket he was snug and warm. The growling came again, and he raised the blaster, aiming it at the door.

The beast yelp and raced away, he realized someone else was outside. Rushing he put the helmet back on, and aimed the blaster at the door.

As they got to the door the guards paused to look at the two. Cho half smiled at him, as the guards came forward, moved her to a stretcher and then him. They were not delicate with him. He deserved it. He had ran away. Once on the transport, laying side by side with Nor. The jailor did not look happy and he kneeled down to be close to him, "I'm going to skin you alive." The jailor whispered into his ear.

"I own him." Nor interrupted, in a strained and weak voice. The jailor looked down at the Mandalorian with a new face, one of unrelenting rage braced by loyalty. Zenx nodded his head, tauntingly at the jailor. He rose, bowed to his master, and took a seat.

Nor sighed, closing her eyes and thinking about the situation. She opened them and looked over at the masked man. "Your name doesn't matter to me, I know you. But you betrayed my trust," she whispered, rolling her head to look at him. Zenx felt the words stinging into him. "you do it again I'll have them publicly remove that helmet and execute you." He didn't say anything. "This is the part where you give me your word of honor that this is the last time, you'll do something stupid."

He rolled his head over to look at the weakened woman. She had risked her own life, not her guards, or clansmen. Hers. She understood the word she was using, honor. "You done?" He asked her.

A fleeting smile crossed her face. "Not yet."


End file.
